Read the rest about when she wears the other shirt! (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sfl-chi1113tolerance-test,0,5764863.story?page=2)

As the media keeps gushing on about how America has finally adopted tolerance as the great virtue, and that we're all united now, let's consider the Brave Catherine Vogt Experiment.

Catherine Vogt, 14, is an Illinois 8th grader, the daughter of a liberal mom and a conservative dad. She wanted to conduct an experiment in political tolerance and diversity of opinion at her school in the liberal suburb of Oak Park.

She noticed that fellow students at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama for president. His campaign kept preaching "inclusion," and she decided to see how included she could be.

So just before the election, Catherine consulted with her history teacher, then bravely wore a unique T-shirt to school and recorded the comments of teachers and students in her journal. The T-shirt bore the simple yet quite subversive words drawn with a red marker:

"McCain Girl."

"I was just really curious how they'd react to something that different, because a lot of people at my school wore Obama shirts and they are big Obama supporters," Catherine told us. "I just really wanted to see what their reaction would be."

Immediately, Catherine learned she was stupid for wearing a shirt with Republican John McCain's name. Not merely stupid. Very stupid.

"People were upset. But they started saying things, calling me very stupid, telling me my shirt was stupid and I shouldn't be wearing it," Catherine said.

Then it got worse.

"One person told me to go die. It was a lot of dying. A lot of comments about how I should be killed," Catherine said, of the tolerance in Oak Park.

But students weren't the only ones surprised that she wore a shirt supporting McCain.

"In one class, I had one teacher say she will not judge me for my choice, but that she was surprised that I supported McCain," Catherine said.

If Catherine was shocked by such passive-aggressive threats from instructors, just wait until she goes to college.

"Later, that teacher found out about the experiment and said she was embarrassed because she knew I was writing down what she said," Catherine said.

One student suggested that she be put up on a cross for her political beliefs.

"He said, 'You should be crucifixed.' It was kind of funny because, I was like, don't you mean 'crucified?' " Catherine said.

Other entries in her notebook involved suggestions by classmates that she be "burned with her shirt on" for "being a filthy-rich Republican."

Some said that because she supported McCain, by extension she supported a plan by deranged skinheads to kill Obama before the election. And I thought such politicized logic was confined to American newsrooms. Yet Catherine refused to argue with her peers. She didn't want to jeopardize her experiment.

"I couldn't show people really what it was for. I really kind of wanted to laugh because they had no idea what I was doing," she said.

Only a few times did anyone say anything remotely positive about her McCain shirt. One girl pulled her aside in a corner, out of earshot of other students, and whispered, "I really like your shirt."

GrumpyOldLady

11-14-2008, 10:21 AM

I saw that on the news this morning.

She's very brave.

Bet those teachers that harrassed her are calling their left wing NEA representatives to see what they can do about being exposed as the intolerant pigs they are.

Molon Labe

11-14-2008, 10:34 AM

my experiences have been similar....There is little tolerance or diversity for those who preach it on the left.

Gingersnap

11-14-2008, 10:52 AM

This is a great story. Let's hope the lesson sticks with her through college. ;)

Read the rest about when she wears the other shirt! (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sfl-chi1113tolerance-test,0,5764863.story?page=2)
Goes to show just how successful the little brain washing campaign the progressives have launched against George Bush and the Republicans really was.

The country is polarized and really paralyzed because of it.Party labels have sunk rather deep since the Viet Nam war with the war presidency of Richard Nixon drawing the bulk of the blame when he inherited the war from Kennedy and Johnson both Democrats.

Who was the president that got us involved in the Vietnam War?John F. Kennedy (D) continued by Linden B. Johnson (D) ended by Richard M Nixon (R)
.

Phillygirl

11-14-2008, 11:18 AM

Too funny and so true. I can't wait to really talk with my nephew and find out what happened when he wore his McCain buttons to school. He did tell me that most of his friends were McCain supporters (he's in 5th grade), but I'm not sure.

megimoo

11-14-2008, 12:08 PM

Involving young children in the political dramas in public is wrong in my mind.They have enough of the world dumped on their young minds without political trash adding to it.The politicalization of the grade schools is just another wave in the 'brain Washing campaign being waged against our young by a very partisan teachers union along with dictated mandatory Homosexual studies in some areas of this great country!

The "Teach Em Young and They Won't Vote Conservative/Republician ' campaign in schools is financed by Soros and his wealthy far left friends through the DOE to the teachers unions to change America at the root level.

Phillygirl

11-14-2008, 12:48 PM

Involving young children in the political dramas in public is wrong in my mind.They have enough of the world dumped on their young minds without political trash adding to it.The politicalization of the grade schools is just another wave in the 'brain Washing campaign being waged against our young by a very partisan teachers union along with dictated mandatory Homosexual studies in some areas of this great country!

The "Teach Em Young and They Won't Vote Conservative/Republician ' campaign in schools is financed by Soros and his wealthy far left friends through the DOE to the teachers unions to change America at the root level.

I don't have a problem with teaching kids at a young age to pay attention to the political process. I don't think they should brainwash or influence them. But they should know the value of being informed and participating.

When I was in elementary school "current events" was mandatory. At least once a week we had to bring in a news item and be prepared to discuss it. It forced not only the child, but the parents, to read the newspaper and digest it.

Different times. I went ot a public school, but I can remember that one of my current events stories that I had to follow for weeks was the death of Pope John and the election of John Paul I and John Paul II. I wonder if that would even be permitted today.

jinxmchue

11-14-2008, 12:49 PM

Change you can believe in! Notice they never said exactly what direction that "change" was going to be in.

JB

11-14-2008, 08:05 PM

Smart kid.
"In one class, I had one teacher say she will not judge me for my choice, but that she was surprised that I supported McCain," Catherine said.Thanks teach. Maybe next time ask her why. You might learn something.